Rick Iverson, Ryan Beard and Mary Ingle have met with the PARD and Austin Energy representatives about this project, affectionately known as Sparky Park. NUNA will need to raise funds for installing and maintaining the park for the long term; to support this effort, NUNA will apply for non-profit status (501 and 501 3c).

 
Sparky Park Update
by Mary Ingle

In December, NUNA worked with Austin Energy and the Parks Department to reach an agreement with two cell phone companies, T-Mobile and Sprint, who have agreed to share a pre-existing pole (the one closest to Grooms Street). The top of the pole will be configured to have flush mounts, which should be less conspicuous and more attractive. Additionally, Sprint has agreed to a four-year lease with the same terms and amounts as T-Mobile; that totals approximately $200,000 of “seed money” for establishing this modest park and remodeling the substation building. The monies will reside with Austin Energy. Because Sprint joined the negotiations late in the day, they have also agreed to relocate their equipment boxes next to T-Mobile's and to build an attractive brick wall around all the equipment, including the boxes previously installed by Grande Communications. Sprint also made a point of saying that the brick for the wall would match the brick of the substation building, if possible. Such sensitivity to details and aesthetics is greatly appreciated by NUNA.

Also in December, NUNA hosted its final, final charrette for Sparky Park with architects Simon Atkinson and Robin Abrams. The goal of this last charrette was to finalize the specific design of the park in the previous plan (D), and to define the roles and activities for a passive, tranquil space in this 24,000 square-foot lot. The resulting plan was then given to the Parks Department for review, and presented to the Lands and Facilities Subcommittee of the Parks Board on December 20. The park plan features a “front yard” facing Grooms Street, with additional trees, gentle paths, and seating in an area peppered with wildflowers. A serpentine metal sculpture provides seating and invites you to follow its path from the front of the building into a central arena behind the building and beyond. The “backyard” is then divided into two distinct spaces delineated by four-foot berms. The first semicircular arena provides seating facing the back of the substation building, where performances, art installations, or a seasonal market could take place. A second semicircular arena, mirroring the first, lies in the back half of the lot; also delineated by four-foot berms, it focuses on an inner space or “lawn” where you might play, picnic, or sit quietly under a trellis admiring nature. All the vegetation for the park is planned to be indigenous and low maintenance, with variations in shape and color. A sketch of Simon Atkinson's final plan will be posted for viewing at the next neighborhood meeting on February 6.

The present grounds of the North Austin Substation on Grooms Street are hardly recognizable! All the transformers have been removed, and now the grass is growing. If you squint your eyes, you can imagine trees, berms, and other landscaping, perhaps even a location for temporary art sponsored by the City's program of Art in Public Places. In addition to the transformation of the grounds, the substation building has been remediated by Austin Energy crews. The remediation included removal of asbestos, lead paint, and other toxic substances. The building is now ready for remodeling. Soil sampling and testing has been done through Austin Energy, and a report has been made available to NUNA with the results of the testing. Austin Energy has also agreed to supply 72 inches of trees, which means that 24 trees with 3 inch bases could be planted on the site.

Work is also currently underway with the City's Historic Preservation Officer, Steve Sadowsky, to designate the substation building as historic. Substation buildings seem to be relics of the past since they are no longer built. The Grooms building, which preliminary research indicates was built in the 1930s, is the only substation surviving in Austin. A request for historic designation will be submitted to the Historic Landmark Commission, if all goes according to plan and research, at the end of February.

• Formal and shaded
• Trees kept on Grooms side
• Grid of trees
• Building
• Pull out shade structure - 3 towers left support it
• Concrete pads from support towers kept
• Natural area in front with native grasses & wildflowers
• Water Harvesting